Gentleman’s Astronautics
Gone fishin'
- Joined
- 15 September 2022
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I'm tempted to say that you didn't find anything because at the time nothing in the West was mature enough to give the Soviets something worth of trying to copy, but a potential real life point of departure for dramatic story purposes might be the Keldysh bomber concept, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keldysh_bomber. YMMV, of course.I say, might any of you fine gentlemen know of any good Soviet projects that might serve as their program workhorse? The brits have the BIS Winged orbital Rocket, and the Americans have Von Brauns ferry rocket, but I've so far been able to find nothing for the soviets?
I have been toying with that idea, but someone on twitter suggested perhaps a massively enlarged and V2/A4-influenced GIRD X serving as the first stage, an anomalous second stage, and a spaceplane on the top? Might this perhaps work??I'm tempted to say that you didn't find anything because at the time nothing in the West was mature enough to give the Soviets something worth of trying to copy, but a potential real life point of departure for dramatic story purposes might be the Keldysh bomber concept, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keldysh_bomber. YMMV, of course.
Depends on the details, but in general, William Moore should be your new best posthumous friend . In other words, do the (easy) basic math, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsiolkovsky_rocket_equation. Also, what exactly would an "anomalous second stage" be??? And as a general piece of common sense life advice, *never* heed what anyone on twitter suggests...I have been toying with that idea, but someone on twitter suggested perhaps a massively enlarged and V2/A4-influenced GIRD X serving as the first stage, an anomalous second stage, and a spaceplane on the top? Might this perhaps work??
Actually, I think I have a more reasonable suggestion: an enlarged G-2 acting as a first stage booster, with a G-4 second stage, and a Sänger-Silbervogel derived Mig-105 spaceplane acting as the manned third stage.Depends on the details, but in general, William Moore should be your new best posthumous friend . In other words, do the (easy) basic math, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsiolkovsky_rocket_equation. Also, what exactly would an "anomalous second stage" be??? And as a general piece of common sense life advice, *never* heed what anyone on twitter suggests...
Yeah, probably would end up something like that to be fairsound more like this cluster of 3 G-4 rocket with Mig-105 spaceplane bolded to third G-4 booster
launch with two G-4, while third G-4 bring Mig-105 into Orbit...
no engines for anybodyIf Glushko had cancer instead of Korolev...who knows?
Had they both died---Chelomei might have more of a chance--but that might also depend on Sergei's father surviving "eyebrows."
Chelomei might have gotten a small space plane built if unopposed...that might fit your scenario best.
how would you recommend the soviets go forward then? Tikhonravov does the first spaceflight in '47, but afterwards its a bit of a blankKuznetsov might not have been the best…